Edward the Exile

Edward the Exile, also known as Edward Ætheling, was born in 1016 as the son of King Edmund Ironside and Ealdgyth. Following his father’s defeat by Canute, he was sent into exile to the Kingdom of Hungary, where he spent most of his life. After the Danish conquest of England, Canute sent Edward and his brother Edmund to the Swedish court, with rumored orders for their execution. However, they were spared and may have later resided at the Kievan court or the Hungarian royal court. Edward possibly assisted Prince Andrew of Hungary in reclaiming the throne and may have been granted an estate by King Stephen of Hungary.

In 1056, Edward the Confessor summoned him back to England to be his heir, aiming to secure a stable succession for the Saxon royal house. Edward’s return offered a legitimate alternative to other contenders for the throne, such as the Godwinsons and William of Normandy. Despite successful negotiations for his return, Edward the Exile died shortly after arriving in England in 1057, before he could meet the king. He was buried in Old St Paul’s Cathedral.